In Spite of You! (Nozomi x FemReader)
by winternicki
Summary: It's normal to hold hands with your bestie, right? It's normal to fall asleep on her shoulder, right? But is it normal for you to have your heart fluttering when she touches you? What is this? You've never had such feelings, not especially towards your best friend! She seems to be affected by you too. Oh no, what is going to happen to your friendship?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello friends! I'm back after God knows how long. Back with anime! An LLSIP fanfiction, if you haven't figured...

Things you should note for this fanfiction:  
1\. **THIS IS A YURI** **FANFICTION** (girl on girl/lesbian love). IF YOU'RE NOT COMFORTABLE, PLEASE LOOK FOR SOMETHING ELSE TO READ.  
2\. [y/n] = your name  
3\. You're a female! Not a male! Yes, much yuri here, very excite.  
4\. You're best friends with Nozomi, and Eli is NOT her bestie.  
5\. You're not going to find any dirty scenes here, you hentai! It's just pure, innocent (and young) schoolgirl love!

All set, popcorns and all? Okay. Let's go! :D

Update (18/08): As requested, all "suffixes" for "[y/n]" has been changed.  
Update (10/12): Minor editing for all chapters!

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live! School Idol Project or any of their franchise.

* * *

"1! 2! 3! 4!"

The repetitiveness of Umi's voice, now almost chant-like, dulled me to sleep. It was just another day on the rooftop and I was waiting for my best friend, Nozomi, to finish her usual practice with µ's.

I have always been fond of the group of friends, joined the club, but didn't join µ's. It always seemed that the nine of them were perfection, and to add me into the group would definitely ruin the charm. Having always been there for them since they started out, I have been their lighting and sound manager during lives and produced all their albums. They always appreciated my encouragement and help, saying that they would never have made it to where they are right now without me. To outsiders, I was µ's producer, but to the group of girls, I was a friend; a helping hand.

I sat in the shade next to the closed door leading to the stairwell, getting a perfect view of their practice session. All their movements, ever so synchronized with each other, were so flawless in every aspect. The innocence in the voices of the first years; the enthusiasm in the second years; and the maturity in the third years' movement... with the exception of Nico due to her height. I chuckled at that thought. Nevertheless, they were perfection: nothing more, nothing less.

Despite their unwavering smile, their faces obviously expressed their fatigue, and I felt myself smile too. "They're pretty much at their best right now. Next week's live would be flawless, just like always," I thought, finally looking at Nozomi, her long purple pigtails swaying along with her movements and her emerald eyes met mine. She smiled at me knowingly, and for a moment, I thought I felt my heart skip a beat.

Sure, I had always thought Nozomi to be very attractive. Many boys would seem to visit the shrine not to pray but rather to feast their eyes upon my bestie... and possibly her rack. It's not as if I would ever see her in _that_ way, but I could never help the jealousy that bubbled deep within my being, lethal and ready to pounce at anyone who would lay a hand on my one and only true friend. And all too soon, Nozomi's gaze left mine as her attention snapped back towards Umi's counting, her steps never once faltering.

"1! 2! 3! 4! Rin, you're not in time!"

"Sorry, Rin-chan isn't in her best shape without her daily ramen, nya!"

"Okay then let's call it a day. Good job, everyone! [y/n]-chi, is there anything you would like to add?" Umi turned towards me. "It's all good. You're all set for next week's live! Today's drinks are on me!" I grinned, heading towards the vending machine and ordering their favorite drinks that I had long memorized by heart. "[y/n]-chi, would you like some help?" Kotori chirped. I scooted over to allow Kotori to reach down and collect some cans. "Thank you, Kotori-chan." "It's no problem at all!" she smiled.

We walked back in silence towards the group and the group expressed their thanks for the drinks. They each collected their favorites and gulped them down thirstily. With a can of caramelized green tea in my hand, I headed to the back of the rooftop, letting the group have their space to cool down and to chat idly. Through the steel bars, the orange sunset was strangely calming for the first time.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" a Kansai-accented voice came from behind.

"Eh?" I turned around, feeling pleasantly surprised to see Nozomi standing a few feet behind, her gaze far away, probably looking at the sunset too. "Yeah, it is."

Instead of turning back and continue gazing out, I continued looking at her face, deciding her face made me feel more at ease than the beautiful view. She walked up beside me, eyes never once leaving the sunset. Ever so casually, she reached for my empty hand. It wasn't the first time holding her hand, but somehow, I felt my cheeks heat up. I lifted the can and took a sip of drink to try to cool myself down.

"Everyone has already left to do their own things."

"Oh? I didn't even realize."

"Are you okay, [y/n]-chi?" Nozomi asked softly, gazing softly into my eyes.

"Hmm? Yeah, everything's okay."

"You don't seem to be very focused today."

"Do I? I think I've been more focused today as compared to this whole week!" I laughed.

Nozomi smiled, but her eyes full of seriousness. "Is there something on your mind? You know I'm always here to hear you out."

"Nozomi..."

"Yes, [y/n]-chi?" she teased.

"Idiot."

Nozomi pulled me into a hug, relaxing into her warm embrace. She was always like a big, fluffy teddy bear. Hugging her was always like a heaven. All too soon, she let me go.

"Are you ready to go? Or would you like to stay a little longer?" she asked kindly.

"I'm good."

"Alright, let's go home." We picked our bags up and walked towards our apartment, hand in hand.

* * *

A/N: It's going to be a short series. How many chapters? I don't know; I have barely started on the next chapter. And I think that my writing skills have depleted quite a bit, so I apologize if it seems a little weird or anything. And as usual, reviews are greatly appreciated! :D


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: And I'm back with the second chapter! :D Thank you very much for the reviews and support! They really make my day. ^.^

Update (10/12): Some major editing and re-writing of a scene.

Disclaimer: I wish I could own Love Live! School Idol Project... especially Nozomi Toujou...

* * *

I pulled out my keys from my pocket, unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"I'm home," our tired voices rang throughout the empty hall. Leaving our shoes in the corner, we brought our groceries to the kitchen and packed them neatly into the fridge, leaving the bread on the counter. "You can go take a bath first, I'll make dinner," I offered although I was dead beat from the short detour to the convenience store.

"No, [y/n]-chi, let's take a bath together," Nozomi's breath tickled my ear and her warm hands stilling my upper arms. I froze up. "H-huh? Together? But we haven't taken a bath together since we were ten!" I stuttered. I was always shy about my body, especially when I could easily be compared to Nozomi. Her arms moved into a casual wrap around my neck, pressing her chest against my back and breathing warmly against the side of my neck. My breath hitched and my heartbeat started to accelerate.

"Yes, together. Doesn't it get lonely when you take a bath alone?"

"Y-yeah...?"

"Come, join me. Don't be shy."

"O-okay." _Wait. What?! What did I just agree to? What have I gotten myself into?!_ I panicked internally and she let go of me, grabbing my hand in the process and leading me towards the bathroom. Her innocent smile made me question if the little trick she had just pulled was only my imagination.

 _*A/N: The major edit starts from here. You can read the original at the end of this chapter after the author's note._

The second she closed the door to the laundry room, I quickly entered the bathroom, using the excuse that I'd start the bath to hide the inexplicable blush forming on my face. I quickly made sure that the drainage system was closed off and turned the tap as water poured into the tub. With the moral "No bath is to go without scented bubble bath!", I headed back into the previous room for the bottles.

"Nozomi, what bub-"

I was greeted with sight of Nozomi taking her blouse off, looking in my direction, slightly surprised.

"Nozomi!" I yelled, blushing the deepest shade of red as I covered my face. Although it was only a split second, I saw her blush a little.

"Hmm? Is [y/n]-chi that shy?" she teased. Does Nozomi even have any shame? "Oh, and I'm wearing my black sexy underwear set I was telling you about. You have to see it, especially on me! It looks really great. C'mon, [y/n], we're both girls! What's there to be ashamed about?"

She obviously has no shame.

"You," I mumbled to myself.

"Did you say something?"

"I said, don't just strip unannounced when someone else is in the room, idiot!" My face was still visibly red.

"But you _walked_ into the room _unannounced_ ," she retaliated nonchalantly.

"O-oh... I'm sorry! I'll go-" I realized my mistake and made a move to head towards the door leading to the hall, but Nozomi grabbed my arm gently. "It's okay, [y/n]-chi. There's no need to be embarrassed. We've known each other for such a long time. You don't have to go outside. I'll quickly finish changing and shower first, okay?" I didn't dare to meet her eyes in fear of seeing what I don't want to see again, but I could hear the kind smile in her voice. I nodded timidly and kept my eyes on the ground, studying the wooden planks as the shuffling of clothes can be heard behind me.

"I'll go shower now."

* * *

"Hey, Nozomi?" I croaked. "Why haven't you got a boyfriend yet?"

We sat opposite each other in the bath. The smell of lavender filled the room. Apparently, she had grabbed a bottle on the way in here. Nozomi knows me well too well.

"I don't need a boyfriend if I have you, [y/n]-chi!" she smiled reassuringly.

"How many boys have you turned down?"

"It... doesn't matter."

"Why not? Unless there's someone you already like?"

She looked away, staring into the water, blushing a little - from the steam or embarrassment, I wasn't sure. Either way, she looked a little upset by my question, but I didn't want to push her on the topic if she wasn't comfortable with it. Since our tub was meant for only the both of us, I easily reached over and patted her knee saying, "It's okay."

After what seemed like a long pause, she whispered, "It's not."

"Hmm?"

"I want to tell you. I want to get it off my chest."

"Nozomi, I'll always be h-"

"I _need_ to tell you," she growled. She started to get on her hands and knees and crawled towards me. It would have almost been considered seductive if not for the deadly look that Nozomi possessed, with her damp hair falling from her towel and her green eyes not meeting mine.

"There is someone I like."

"N-Nozomi?!" I whimpered, getting uncomfortable with the proximity and to admit it, a little scared.

"I already like someone," she repeated, this time a little louder.

"Nozomi... Don't scare me like that..." She was now hovering over my limp body, in a very compromising position. If anyone were to walk in at this point of time, we were going to have a very difficult time explaining ourselves.

"[y/n]... would you understand... if-" she slowly gazed into my eyes softly - almost heart-breakingly, bearing a completely different facade from what she wore just seconds before. "If I said that I didn't like boys?"

The words barely registered in my head. "If... you didn't like... boys?"

"If I didn't like boys," she repeated.

Oh.

Then Nozomi was into girls?!

I sat there, mouth agape, not knowing what to say. "Say something, please, [y/n]-chi?" she begged, looking worried.

"I... I wasn't expecting that from you, Nozomi. I thought-"

"You thought that I liked boys and with this body, I could easily seduce one?" she gestured towards her figure. I gulped and nodded, still vaguely aware of the proximity we were in. I broke eye contact with her and looked away.

Nozomi slipped back into her original position and I felt like I could breathe properly again. All those times she was advancing onto me, I felt my heart hammering through my ribcage and my breathing became shallow. I blame that on the bath.

"I like girls."

Emerald eyes were fixated upon me, watching my facial expression, probably expecting me to realize the situation and run out of the bath. Strangely, I felt no sort of urge or panic. _Oh, Nozomi, what an odd timing you pick to come out,_ I mused.

After a few moments, I looked up at her and asked teased, "So who do you like then? Is it someone I know? Eli-chi?"

She relaxed, face reddening more than it had already been. "Good to see that you're out of shock. I'm sorry for coming out in the bath. It's an awkward timing," she echoed my thoughts.

Despite being friends for a very long time, Nozomi and I had never discussed our views on this topic. But I was okay with it and well, it seemed like Nozomi was too. I returned what I hoped was a reassuring smile while my head spun for possible girls in our school whom my best friend could take a liking to. Eli-chi? Nico-chi? Maki-chan?

"[y/n]-chi, is everything alright?" Nozomi asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You look... angry."

"Eh? Yeah, everything's fine!" The frown on her face disappeared. "I'm just... thinking." She slowly got up and out of the bath. "About what?"

"About you, of course," I teased. "You still haven't answered my questions."

Her pink cheeks tinted slightly more. "Later. I'm going to use the shower again." And with that, she padded out the room and slid the door close.

* * *

A/N: I didn't mean to make this chapter _that_ long but I did... Well, I don't know when the next update would be because I'm getting national results tomorrow and there's a 80% chance I'm going to be upset with it. Hopefully the update would be by this weekend. I'm really sorry if I wouldn't update this as regularly as you hope I will be - I read that the two of you enjoyed my first chapter, thank you! - but don't worry, I have the plot line all properly set out: ideas, everything in my head.

Update (10/12): I'm so sorry for the change! I found out that people use the shower _then_ use the bath and maybe the shower again afterwards, but not the other way round! I'm not Japanese, and although to say that I'm not that new to anime, the animes I watch don't usually have bath scenes, so I apologize for the wrong order and information of the etiquette of bathing. I hope that after coming back to this story to edit, my writing style hasn't changed obviously and ruined the flow of the story and/or the characters' behaviors. Thank you all for dealing with my errors and odd mistakes here and there. And just a reminder that the original scene is below! (:

If you're having a bad day, here, have a piece of virtual chocolate. Virtual chocolates are the best chocolates one can have. :P

Reviews are (again) much appreciated and much loved! I always get so excited to see a new review! (:

* * *

I pulled two towels out and wrapped my hair in the smaller one, then proceeded to stand there awkwardly. I could feel Nozomi's eyes on my back the entire time.

"Are you going to stand there and watch me?"

"Mmm? Is [y/n]-chi that shy?" I heard Nozomi start to move towards her own cupboard at the other end of the room, and I seized the opportunity to remove my uniform and wrap a towel around myself.

Only when I was done, I replied, "No, [y/n]-chi isn't shy at all!" I spun around, folded my arms and proceeded to look defiant. It was then I realized she wasn't done changing, and the purple-haired girl stood there, dressed only in her underwear.

To make things worse, she was wearing her black "sexy underwear set" she had told me about weeks ago.

I yelped a "sorry", quickly slid open the door to the bath and half-yelled, "I'll start the bath!" A chuckle could be heard from her as I turned the faucet, letting the tub fill. "Idiot," I muttered under my breath, another blush forming on my cheeks. Had I been any teenage boy, my nose would be bleeding profusely right now. Her body was _perfect_ , with all the curves in the right places. Although it had only been a few seconds, I had already seen too much. Too much for me.

I sighed, shaking my head to try and clear out the image of my best friend's perfect body. However, a little voice just kept reminding me how I was no match for her. Before I could chide myself, Nozomi stepped into the room and slid the door close. "Lavender scent, is that okay with you?" she asked, shaking a bottle. I nodded and she poured a generous amount into the steaming bath.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm so sorry for the lack of update. I've been having my national exam for the past month or so, and I'm finally done with it. Oh boy, I'm so excited to continue this short story, and here's the last chapter! Three times the charm, am I right? :D

Update (14/11): A little editing!

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live! School Idol Project.

* * *

I didn't get out of the bath for about another ten minutes.

I sat there, allowing my racing heart to slow down only to pick up again, my head playing through the event that happened moments before.

How close Nozomi was.

The smell of her breath.

Her eyes.

 _Oh, sweet heaven,_ I shivered, crawling out and draining the water.

* * *

By the time I had gotten dressed, I could smell barbequed meat dominating the air. Nozomi swayed around the kitchen, humming the song that they were practicing before. I stood in the doorway, just watching her and relishing in the moment that I could watch her be so carefree. But Nozomi being Nozomi and with her spiritual powers, she sensed my presence and turned around, smiling. "You know what, [y/n]-chi? I think we should take our food to the rooftop and enjoy the warm air tonight. The cards tell me that we'll be in for a treat."

"Why not?" I grinned and retrieved our used bento boxes from our bags. Washing them in the sink, I mindlessly filtered through a list of girls whom Nozomi interacted with. It was difficult, considering that µ's has a lot of fans and that I don't know every single one of them. But her friends? I know all of them and she knows all of mine. But after all that, the list of girls that I had in my mind were only the girls from µ's. They were the ones Nozomi spends her time with after school.

"[y/n]-chi, pass me our boxes, will you?" I mindlessly handed her two of them and she laughed. "[y/n]-chi, I love my barbequed meat, but I would like my rice too!" I looked at her questioningly and she gestured to the two clean purple-colored boxes. The purple ones were hers and the white ones were mine. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I guess I really am disoriented today," I blushed. "[y/n]-chi, you're always disoriented," Nozomi giggled. I think I heard a "it's cute" coming from her, but I was already lost in my own thoughts.

I exchanged her rice box with my alternate box and began to fill our rice boxes with already cooked white rice. Steam rose out of the rice cooker and I smiled. Just like Hanayo, I loved rice. Rice goes with anything! It truly is the best. Nozomi knows how I like my rice best - Japanese style - and she cooks it to perfection. I mean, after so many years of living with her, how could she not know?

We packed our own bento boxes and chopsticks into our cloths and Nozomi disappeared into her room and returned with a blanket folded over her arm. "Shall we?"

* * *

The stars were beautiful tonight. Warm air blew over the rooftop and kept us warm in our shorts and tee. Nozomi had her hair up in a side braid, whilst I had mine down. We were quiet, enjoying our dinner and peace, nearly away from civilization. It was like we were alone in our own little world, where no one would be able to disturb our tranquil state. No one ever came up here except for the both of us. I guess that you could call it our spot.

Our spot.

I liked the sound of it. Just Nozomi's and mine.

As we finished up our meals, we put the boxes back in its place and leaned against each other. Some of her hair drifted in the wind and her scent mixed with the lavender from just now pleasantly filled my nose. Nozomi took out her stack of tarot cards, shuffled it and picked one out. "Two of Cups," she mumbled to herself. I had no idea what it meant, but looked up at the twinkling stars and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"For a chance," she answered nonchalantly.

"What chance?"

She put the card back into its stack and smiled at the stars. "You were asking me who I liked, right?"

"Oh. That?"

"Yeah."

Silence. I didn't know what else to say, so I asked who it was again.

"You really want to know?"

"Of course, Nozomi. You're my best friend. I want you to be happy. I'll do my best to bring the both of you together!"

She laughed. "Oh, you're silly."

"I'm not kidding!"

She sighed, smiled, then chuckled and sighed again. "[y/n]-chi?" She took my hand in hers and looked earnestly into my eyes.

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath.

"I like you."

I looked blankly at her as my brain processed it. Her face was red with embarrassment and she was biting her lips.

"Oh." My heartbeat sped up and my face turned as red as hers as I looked away. _She likes_ me _? Out of everyone, me?_

"I understand if you don't like me back, and that you would-"

"Shush, Nozomi, you're too noisy."

"Sorry," she mumbled, pulling her hand away from mine and starting to get up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have; it was a bad idea, despite what the cards-"

"Where are you going?" I grabbed her hand. "I'm not done with you yet."

She looked back at me, eyes full of disappointment and sadness. She looked ready to cry. Nevertheless, she sat back down next to me. I didn't want her to leave just yet. Although I couldn't tell her that I was sure that I liked her _that_ way just yet, I knew I couldn't tell her that I didn't feel that way towards her either. I didn't know exactly how I felt; I couldn't put it into words. Every moment I spent with her was magical. I cherished every moment of it. And maybe that's why we're best friends.

But lately, my heart has been doing odd stuff that it had never done before. I've been heating up when I was around her these few weeks too, which have never happened often back when we were younger. I always saw her as an older sister whom I was close to and nothing more.

Until now.

Nozomi was shuffling and picking cards nervously, which was very out of character for her. She looked up at me and I blushed.

"I... I think I like you too." I stared at the floor and twiddled my thumbs.

"Ah? You think?" Nozomi returned to her usual self, teasing me. I blushed even redder.

"O-okay, fine! I like you too, Nozomi!" I half-yelled and threw my arms around her, burying my face in her neck to try and hide my embarrassment. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around me, saying, "that's much better" and planted a kiss on my head.

"Idiot."

* * *

A/N: I AM SO SAD THAT THIS SUPPOSED-TO-BE FLUFFY STORY HAS COME TO AN END. :( I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Nozomi is beautiful, don't you agree? I'm not saying that the others aren't, but I love Nozomi the most! Do let me know what you think of this story and leave a review, please!

Until next time, take care! (:


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